Ten Pieces of Inspiration #122

Each week, I highlight ten things each week that inspired me to greater financial, personal, and professional success. Hopefully, they will inspire you as well.

1. Tao Te Ching on mastering yourself

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.” – Tao Te Ching

You are the key.

2. Dan Ariely on our personal connection to work

People care about more than money when it comes to their work. Money does not work as a sole professional motivator.

3. Max Lucado on accomplishment

“If you want to lead the orchestra, you must turn your back on the crowd.” – Max Lucado

Sometimes, you have to stop listening to others and start listening to yourself.

4. Child having fun

This child looks like he/she’s having the time of his/her life. I love the smiles that small children get when they’re first exploring the world.

Thanks to the Library of Congress for this image.

5. William Gibson on the future

“The future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed.” – William Gibson

Virtually every social problem in the world is a distribution problem. Education isn’t evenly distributed. Neither is police protection. Neither is food or water. Those are the big problems of the future.

6. David Foster Wallace on the dangers of perfectionism

“The perfectionism is very dangerous, because of course if your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you never do anything.” – David Foster Wallace

Perfect is the enemy of the good.

7. General store, circa 1936

This is what a grocery store looked like for many people in the mid 1930s. Things seem drastically different now, but in a lot of ways, it’s not really that different at all.

Thanks to the Library of Congress for this image.

8. Hines Ward on building yourself up

“To build yourself up, first you gotta break yourself down. Ring it out. Get empty; Then get ready to do it again the next day.” – Hines Ward

It’s the “do it again the next day” that people struggle with the most, I think.

9. Boy pilots sailboat/wagon hybrid

My own children tried to do something very similar to this just last summer. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Thanks to Upper Arlington History for the image.

10. Descartes on overcoming challenges

“Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.” – Rene Descartes

Books worth budgeting for

My new book, The Simple Dollar: How One Man Wiped Out His Debts and Achieved the Life of His Dreams, is available in bookstores now. Check out some of the life-changing experiences the book has given readers!

Check out my book, 365 Ways to Live Cheap, available in bookstores everywhere! It's filled with 365 great tactics you can apply to your personal finances, from frugal tips to great ideas for managing your money.